Tussle between Tripura HC, Government over law secretary continues

Agartala: The conflict between the Tripura High Court and the government over removal of Law Secretary Data Mohan Jamatia from his post continues with the law minister shooting off a fresh letter to Chief Justice Deepak Gupta.

The state government had expressed its inability to relieve Jamatia of his responsibilities. A contempt of court case against Jamatia is pending in the Supreme Court.

A high court notification, issued on July 14, transferred Jamatia and posted him as a district and sessions judge of Unakoti district.

The court also asked him to take over the new assignment on August 3 and asked Chief Secretary Yashpal Singh to choose a new law secretary.

Last week, Law Minister Tapan Chakraborty, in a letter to Chief Justice Gupta, expressed the state government’s inability to relieve Jamatia as law secretary as he is looking after various pending cases in the Supreme Court and upcoming elections to local bodies.

The fresh letter came after the high court on July 23 turned down the law minister’s plea and stick to its decision.

Minister Chakraborty said: “Yesterday (Thursday), I have sent another letter to the chief justice to retain Jamatia in his post at least for another six months.”

Chakraborty, however, refused to divulge the contents of the letter.

An official with the law department, on the condition of anonymity, told IANS: “The minister told the chief justice that Jamatia has been looking after the state government’s appeal to the Supreme Court against the high court’s dismissal of 10,323 government teachers by an order on May 7 last year.”

“Besides, the law secretary’s service is urgently required by the state government in smoothly conducting elections to various urban local bodies, including Agartala Municipal Corporation, in December and elections to 527 village committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council in March next year,” the official said quoting the letter.

A division bench of the high court in April wanted contempt of court charges to be framed against Jamatia for making a derogatory remark about the judiciary in an official note to Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

Jamatia, who denied making any derogatory remarks against the high court, filed a petition before the Supreme Court against the high court decision.

The official said the law minister also raised questions over the appointment of Unakoti District Session Judge Gautam Debnath as officer on special duty (OSD) in the high court.

“The high court may appoint OSD but the post has to be created by the state government before any posting is made, as otherwise financial and other complications will arise in future,” the law minister said in his letter.

The Sangh Parivar, better known as the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) celebrated the 125th anniversary of the song in 2002. Wikimedia Commons

RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) is a is an Indian right-wing

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat expressed his views on Indian Army’s preparation in his speech to RSS workers in Muzaffarpur in Bihar

Kiren Rijiju said if the Constitution permits, RSS can go ahead with its interference in military matters.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh wants to re-mould the Indian State with a military which adheres to Hindutva, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has said.

This is the message that emerges from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s speech to RSS workers in Muzaffarpur in Bihar that while the Army takes six to seven months to train its soldiers, the RSS can get its cadres ready for battle in two to three days, the CPI-M said.

“This remark has drawn widespread condemnation, with the main criticism being that the RSS chief had insulted the Indian army by claiming that the RSS can do a better job than the Army in training soldiers,” an editorial in the CPI-M journal “People’s Democracy,” said.

“While this criticism is valid, the intent of these remarks is much more serious,” it said. “The statement has revealed a vital aspect of the RSS outlook about the Army and the militarization of society.”

The editorial said: “What the RSS wants in the re-moulding of the Indian State is armed forces which adhere to Hindutva. For Bhagwat, the soldier in the Indian Army and the Swayamsevak of the RSS are on the same footing.

RSS world’s largest organisation promote Hindutva.

“Under the present Indian Constitution, such an integration of the Army and the RSS is not possible.

That is why, both the RSS clarification and the defence put out by (Minister of State for home) Kiren Rijiju makes this qualification that if the Constitution permits, the RSS can go ahead with its interference in military matters.

“The implication is ominous: a re-worked Constitution should enable this to happen.”